CORNFLOUR HALWA- Easy Deepavali Sweets

When you are aiming at a display of home-made snacks for festival days like Deepavali , time is a big factor. Accommodating many recipes in a short time is a challenge for anyone. For instance, the Classic Wheat Halwa ('Godhumai Halwa') recipe involves a complex procedure of extracting  cream of wheat and cooking it for very long hours to get the desired glossy consistency. Whilst the traditional recipe has no equivalent ones, this corn flour version can be a quick substitute to the classic recipe within minutes. Scroll down to know how.

Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 15 - 20 min
Serves: 5
Recipe Level: Easy
Recipe Category: Sweets
Cuisine : Indian
Source : Sharmis Passion

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup Corn flour 
• 1  1/4 cup Sugar 
• 1 cup + 1 and 1/2 cups Water 
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• 1/4  cup roughly chopped Cashew nuts 
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder 
• a pinch of food colour of your choice, commonly Saffron
• Saffron strands ( optional)

METHOD

• Grease a plate or tray with little ghee and set aside.
• Fry the cashew nuts in 1/2 tbsp ghee and set aside.
• Mix Corn flour with 1 1/2 cup water and food colour and stir well to ensure there are no lumps.
• In a non stick pan or a thick bottomed vessel, heat sugar with 1 cup water and cook until it forms a thick sticky syrup.
• You need not check for any string consistency.
• Now give the corn flour+ water a good mix and gently add it to the sugar solution. Keep stirring as you add, to avoid any lumps.
• The mixture initially thickens to form a cloud and turns into a thick glossy mass as you continue to cook. 
• Add the remaining ghee, cardamom powder and cashew nuts. Also add the saffron strands at this point.
• Stir well and turn off the heat. Transfer the mixture to the greased plate and pat the plate on a flat surface so that it spreads evenly and smoothly. 
• Cool well and cut into pieces or serve as it is.